“I really like being at Imperial. The best part is working alongside some of the most capable people in the world, who inspire me and make it truly enjoyable to work here.”

I came to Imperial in 2014 to do an engineering doctorate. My PhD project involved the research and development of a snake-robot to perform inspections of jet engines while the engine is on-wing, and was sponsored by Rolls-Royce. It was a really interesting project, where I conducted research on different types of miniature snake-robots – mostly concentric tube robots and soft robots.

During my PhD, I was also able to spend a few months working at the Tokyo Institute of Technology, in the lab of Professor Suzumori, who is one of the world-leading experts on soft robots. This was possible thanks to an Industrial Fellowship that I was awarded by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, and it was a great experience.

I completed my PhD at the end of 2018, and I’m now staying at Imperial as a post-doctoral researcher for at least a couple of years – maybe more if I have the chance! I’m now part of the Non-Destructive Evaluation lab, working on the use of robots (such as drones and robot arms) to inspect offshore rigs, such as those used in the oil, gas or renewables sector.

These offshore rigs have structural elements like pipes, plates, or beams that suffer from corrosion, erosion, and cracking, and need to be inspected to ensure that these structures don’t break. With the work of my team members and myself, we aim to be able to perform these inspections robotically, so that the cost of inspection is reduced and the exposure of humans to dangerous environments is also reduced. This project is part of the Offshore Robotics for the Certification of Assets (ORCA) hub.

I really like being at Imperial. The best part is working alongside some of the most capable people in the world, who inspire me and make it truly enjoyable to work here.